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What makes you think that just because a shop is union that they are more deserve to get paid more than non union??? And just like franchise owners need to pay the corporate office, union shops need to pay the union so either way it goes someone has their hand in your pocket. Not only that $89 dollars an hour is more likely for new construction not service. Service plumbing cost more.

I don't think they deserve to get paid more. It's just an example. A better plumber deserves to get paid more.

Around here union shops charge 89 an hour + materials.. The highest paid journeymen get 29 an hour. 55 total per hour in benefits. At "Mr Ripoff" the hourly "goal" is 130 bucks an hour. Whoever is working gets between 16-23% of that. The journeymen get 23%. That works out to 29 an hour, if you're lucky, good or more if you're a con artist. Cost plus markup gets taken out and the plumber, tech or whatever is left with even less. So a tech has to charge a lot more than the going rate to make less than he or she should.

Plus they're not paid for drivetime, cleaning the van, paperwork, meetings, etc. Just commission. Add in the fact that these systems are designed to have more plumbers than are needed for a given shop so guys sit home doing nothing a lot. That makes them hungry for the next victim, I mean customer..

With that kind of pay system it's no surprise that there is a very high turnover rate. They are constantly replacing employees and training people as quickly as they can which is often far less than is needed for competency.

I don't think they deserve to get paid more. It's just an example. A better plumber deserves to get paid more.

Around here union shops charge 89 an hour + materials.. The highest paid journeymen get 29 an hour. 55 total per hour in benefits. At "Mr Ripoff" the hourly "goal" is 130 bucks an hour. Whoever is working gets between 16-23% of that. The journeymen get 23%. That works out to 29 an hour, if you're lucky, good or more if you're a con artist. Cost plus markup gets taken out and the plumber, tech or whatever is left with even less. So a tech has to charge a lot more than the going rate to make less than he or she should.

Plus they're not paid for drivetime, cleaning the van, paperwork, meetings, etc. Just commission. Add in the fact that these systems are designed to have more plumbers than are needed for a given shop so guys sit home doing nothing a lot. That makes them hungry for the next victim, I mean customer..

With that kind of pay system it's no surprise that there is a very high turnover rate. They are constantly replacing employees and training people as quickly as they can which is often far less than is needed for competency.

Who would you hire, the union guy or mr ripoff guy?

I'm non union FYI.

Wow I think total benefits for union journeymen here is almost $90 hr here.

What makes you think that just because a shop is union that they are more deserve to get paid more than non union??? And just like franchise owners need to pay the corporate office, union shops need to pay the union so either way it goes someone has their hand in your pocket. Not only that $89 dollars an hour is more likely for new construction not service. Service plumbing cost more.

when i left the union in 1995, the union pay scale was $3.00 an hour less for service shops than it was for new construction shops.

also the schooling for new construction was 4 years and the service was 2 years. now remember that was 2 days a week after work for 3 hours a night.

now it's 5 years every other week for a full 8 hours, no pay.

remember that in new construction we have to be competitive with a bid to get the contract. there is no such thing as the first guy who answers the phone and gets to the job, gets the job.

with service work, people are desperate and most don't know any better.

i just had a long term customer call the smell good plumber the other day as i couldn't make it. she paid $99.00 for a simple toilet stoppage.

more than i would charge. but it gets worse. they said she needed a pressure regulator wilkins 600 1'' for an additional $800+ and a seismic earthquake gas shut off valve for $700+.

so the $99.00 call almost generated another $1500. of course she immediately called me to ask. she told them to take a hike